Zucchini Bhajiya/Fritters

Without much ado, let me get straight to the point. This one is called Zucchini Bhajiya/Fritters. This completes my trio to the Zucchini feature week. The other two recipes in that are Baked Zucchini Parmesan Chips and Whole Wheat Zucchini Pecans Bread. Now let me tell you a bit on what Bhajias mean to me. If you’re from India, then the concept of bhajias is not alien to you. We can make bhajias pretty much with any vegetable. However the most popular ones are made of onions, green chillies and potatoes. The veggies are sliced and then dipped in spiced up chickpea flour and then deep-fried. It’s the most popular snack item during Rainy season. There is some connection with rains outside and hot bhajias inside. Everyone associates them with the rains and chai/tea when one wishes for an evening snack. Needless to say, they are mouth-watering and super delicious.

The weather in Orlando is very much like Bombay. Hence climate wise, I had very less adjustment to do when I moved in here few years ago. The difference being, it rains anytime here whereas in Bombay, we have a specific Rainy season. In Summers, we see a lot of rainfall. Since both me and KR are from Bombay, we miss all the home food. So naturally when it rains here, we crave for all those mouth-watering dishes which we associate with rains. It was a normal Thursday afternoon, bright and sunny outside. I was sitting and enjoying my Orange is the New Black series and also feeling hungry. It was a deja vu moment for me. Just the other day, I made myself Baked Zucchini Parmesan Chips when I was in a similar situation. However I wanted to eat something else that day. I had one zucchini leftover in the fridge and some Chickpea & Edamame Crispies in the pantry. I decided to munch on those when suddenly the weather changed outside. It became dark and gloomy and down came heavy rains.

Looking at the rains falling beautifully over the lake. I stood there mesmerized watching the rains. The ducks seemed to be unaffected and were happily wading away. It was picturesque. As I sat there watching this sight, it reminded me of my home in Bombay. I used to sit on my cane swing in the balcony with a book in hand and headphones as it rained outside. My mom would be making hot bhajias or vada for all of us. I could sit there for hours undisturbed, enjoying the rain and my mom’s food. A lightning intruded my thoughts and wiping away the tear from the corner of my eye, I walked back to my kitchen. Just for old times sake, I decided to make bhajias.

While I was planning to make the regular onion bhajiya, that is when it struck to me that why not make zucchini bhajiyas instead. This recipe literally takes 10 minutes to be ready. Peel zucchini. Using a slicer, slice the zucchini. In a bowl, add chickpea flour, turmeric powder, chilly powder, roasted cumin-coriander powder and salt. Add water to make a thick batter consistency. The zucchini should coat well. Adjust water/flour accordingly to get the right consistency. Heat oil in pan for frying. Dip each slice into the batter and deep fry them till they turn golden.

The process to make other bhajias is also the same. Substitute zucchini with any other vegetable. Dip in the batter and fry.

Serve these Zucchini Bhajia/Fritters with some Coriander Mint Chutney and hot chai.

Zucchini Bhajiya/Fritters

2016-06-28 04:25:22

Zucchini Bhajiya/Fritters are basically Indian fritters made with chickpea flour. They are fried, crisp snacks made with different veggies. Zucchini is a new variation to this.

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Ingredients

1 zucchini

Oil for frying

1 cup chickpea flour

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp chilly powder

1 tsp coriander cumin powder

Salt to taste

Water as required.

Instructions

Peel zucchini. Using a slicer, slice the zucchini. In a bowl, add chickpea flour, turmeric powder, chilly powder, roasted cumin-coriander powder and salt. Add water to make a thick batter consistency. The zucchini should coat well. Adjust water/flour accordingly to get the right consistency. Heat oil for frying. Dip each slice into the batter and deep fry them till they turn golden.

Serve these Zucchini Bhajia/Pakora with some Coriander Mint Chutney and hot chai.

Notes

The process to make other bhajias is also the same. Substitute zucchini with any other vegetable. Dip in the batter and fry.

By Priya Lakshminarayan

Cookilicious https://cookilicious.com/

Do try these Indian fritters for your next house party or the next time it rains. I am positive that you will like it too. I surely enjoyed my plate of Zucchini Bhajiya/Fritters as I sat on my swing while listening to the rain drops. The scene has changed today but I am loving this too! The main difference is that back then, my mom made all these yummy dishes for me and today I have to make it myself. Such is life!

If you do try this recipe, please do share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. This will keep me motivated to develop more interesting recipes. Click a pic and post it with the hashtag #cookiliciousveg . I would love to see your pictures on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!